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Michael’s Review: ‘Big Hero 6’- Big Family Fun!

As a comic book reader and lover, I am ashamed to say I knew next to nothing about Marvel’s Big Hero 6 past a few sporadic reads here and there. The characters were always enjoyable and kept my interest, but it never lead to anything more than a mild fondness, so when I heard there would be a Big Hero 6 I can’t say I was anything more than intrigued. The first Disney animated film to feature Marvel Comics characters since the acquisition in 2009, the characters seemed ripe for an animated romp onto the big screen, but detail changes to core characters left many fans holding their breath and hoping that the animation pioneers wouldn’t turn their beloved characters into nothing more than second rate acts for their theme parks upon the films release. I am here to calm some of those fears and tell you that Big Hero 6 is a lot of fun!

Hiro Hamada (voiced by Ryan Potter) is a 14 year old genius who loves robotics, so much that he’s turned his passion into a career in bot fighting. Hiro’s older brother Tadashi (voiced by Daniel Henney) is concerned that Hiro’s talent is being wasted and tries to persuade him to attend college where he can hone his skills and hopefully achieve a successful career. Knowing nothing of the “nerd school” for which his brother boasts, Tadashi introduces Hiro to his classmates, Gogo (voiced by Jaime Chung), Wasabi (voiced by Damon Wayans Jr), Honey Lemon (voiced by Genesis Rodriguez), and Fred (voiced by T.J. Miller) where Hiro begins to realize there’s a lot more to this college thing than meets the eye.

Hiro meets Robert Callaghan (voiced by James Cromwell), a professor at San Fransokyo Tech who convinces Hiro to enter an admissions contest. When tragedy strikes after his acclaimed nano robotics project attracts some unwanted attention, Hiro is left scarred by the incident. The young genius detracts from his newly found friends and becomes a recluse, hiding from the talents that lead to this tragic event. But fate steps in when he least expects, Hiro discovers Baymax (voiced by Scott Adsit), a kind-hearted inflatable robot built by Tadashi to serve as a healthcare companion. Soon Hiro realizes the tragic accident was more than originally thought and decides to take matters into his own hands.

Equipping Baymax with an upgraded data package and the rest of Hiro’s new friends with superhero costumes and some super cool weapons, the group begins a mission to find the villain responsible. As the group begin to get closer to a person of interest, they soon realize that Hiro is blinded by revenge in his pursuit of justice which may jeopardize the mission. Faced with the notion that the young heroes might be over their heads, will the group find a way to pull it together and bring the villain to justice or will the need for revenge derail their quest?

Big Hero 6 offers amazing visuals and mixes the gritty tone of Japanese anime with modern American concepts. Directors Don Hall and Chris Williams create a truly enjoyable world and find a wonderful balance for their audience which doesn’t discount the source content, but also allows for these characters to find discovery from a new generation. While the film does at times feel very cookie cutter in its telling, it doesn’t detract from the overall experience.

Overall, Big Hero 6 is big fun for the whole family with characters that will no doubt find their place amongst your children’s favorites for years to come. Comic book fans rest assured, your beloved BH6 have been well looked after, even if Baymax looks more like the stay puft marshmallow man than an ass kicking machine. Pick your battles people..it’s still a lot of fun!